This Incredible DIY Arcade Cabinet Is a Gamer’s Dream Come True

Determine the size of your arcade cabinet

Every dimension in this build comes from your monitor, so pick it and have it in hand before cutting any wood.

• Choose a 27-in. to 32-in. flat-screen monitor. Skip curved or tube-style panels unless you’re building extra cabinet depth to accommodate them.
• Match the resolution to what you’ll play: 1080p or higher for modern/emulated titles, lower resolution for classic arcade-era games (it can even look more period-accurate).
• Measure the width and height of the monitor. Add 1/2-in. to the width measurement — this becomes the interior width of your cabinet, giving the monitor clearance to slide in without binding.
• Flip the monitor face down on a towel or blanket, and measure where the mounting holes land in relation to the rest of the monitor. This spacing determines where you’ll drill matching holes into the monitor mount (M), which holds the monitor inside the cabinet.

Make the side panels

The side panels (A) are the most time-consuming part of this build to lay out and cut, since they combine straight angled cuts with a large curved arc:

• Use the factory edge of the plywood sheet as your baseline, and draw out the side panels (A) according to the drawing above. You’ll need a protractor or speed square for the angles. Stop when you reach the arc.
• At the arc, connect the end of the 5-1/4-in. vertical line at the top of the side (A) to the 9-1/2-in. line near the bottom of the arc.
• From the center of this roughly 24-1/16-in. long line, draw a 2-1/2-in. line perpendicular to it, toward the 32-in.  back edge of the side (A). Connect the two ends of the 24-1/16-in. line with the top point of the perpendicular line to form the arc.
• Cut the sides out, starting with the arc. A jigsaw is the easiest method, but a router with a circle-cutting jig gives the best results. Set the jig for a 30-1/4-in radius and rout the arc in three or four passes, stopping before you reach the 9-1/2-in. line at the bottom of the arc. Elevate the workpiece above the workbench so you don’t route into it.
• For the remaining straight cuts, clamp a track saw guide to the workpiece and cut.
• Use your first cut side as a template for the second. Or, if you have scrap sheet goods on hand, make a template from the scrap first and transfer it onto the project plywood.

Cut the remaining components

With the side panels done, the rest of the cabinet pieces are cut at the table saw and miter saw:

• Cut the logo panel (B), top panel (G), top door panel (H), door (Q), door panel nailing blocks (J), lower back panel (K), monitor mount (M), floorboard (L), and long and short inner braces (N and P) from 3/4-in. plywood, according to the cut list above.
• Cut the monitor frame (C), button panel (D), front panel (E), and speaker panel (F) from 3/4-in MDF.
• On the table saw, you’ll need to rip some bevels in a few of the pieces for everything to come together. All the bevels are ripped along the 28-1/2-in. long edges of the panels mentioned below.  They are:
  • A 24° bevel along one edge of the button panel (D).
  • A 12° bevel along one edge, and a 3° bevel along the other of the front panel (E).
  • A 15-1/2° bevel along one edge of the speaker panel (F).
  • A 45° bevel along both edges of the top door panel (H).
  • A 24° bevel along one edge of the floorboard (L).

Cut the monitor opening

The opening in the monitor frame panel (C) should frame only the visible screen, not the monitor’s outer plastic bezel. Our 32-in. monitor measured 16-1/2-in. × 28-in. overall, with a true screen size of 15-3/4-in. × 27-15/16-in.; we cut a 15-5/8-in. × 26-3/8-in. opening centered on panel (C), losing an inch or less of screen per side, a trade you can recover entirely by adjusting the display’s overscan / screen-size setting.

• Measure your monitor’s overall size and true screen size (excluding the bezel), then center an opening on panel (C) that’s slightly smaller than the screen — enough to frame the display while leaving structural material around the cutout.
• Elevate the frame panel (C) and clamp it to the bench. Using the track saw, make a cut plunge-cutting just ahead of your starting corner line and stopping right at the far corner.
• Reposition and clamp the track to repeat the cuts on the remaining sides.
• Finish cutting the corners by inserting the jigsaw blade into the track saw kerf channels and cutting straight into each corner until the center waste piece drops free.

Drill holes for the buttons

Joystick and button kits usually come with a paper layout template. We went with a simple single-player layout — five holes total: two action buttons, two start/select buttons, and one for the joystick — since our game list didn’t need more than that, but if you’re planning on titles with heavier input demands, plan your button count accordingly before you drill.

• Position the paper button template over button panel (D) where the joystick and buttons feel most comfortable for gaming.
• Use a center punch, or the spur of a Forstner bit, to mark a center point through the template and onto button panel (D) at each hole location.
• Clamp button panel (D) securely to the drill press. Use a 1-1/8-in. Forstner bit to drill through button panel (D), aligning the bit to each center mark. Place a sacrificial board underneath the panel to prevent tear-out on the back side.

Cut holes for ventilation fans

Even small electronics like the monitor and Raspberry Pi run better with airflow, so we installed two four-inch cooling fans. One on the door (Q) and one on the lower back panel (K).

• The fans include a small, clear plastic gasket that works well as a template for laying out the holes. Use it to mark the hole location centered left-to-right and top-to-bottom on each panel.
• Using a jigsaw or router with a straightedge, cut the square holes for the fans to sit in. These don’t need to be perfect — the fans have a bezel that sits over the edge of the hole, hiding any rough cuts.

Drill the power cord opening

To route the power strip’s cord out of the cabinet, we drilled a dedicated grommet hole in the bottom corner of the lower back panel (K).

• In the bottom left corner of lower back panel (K), measure 2-1/2-in. from the left edge and 1-1/2-in. up from the bottom edge. Mark the center point.
• At the drill press, chuck a 1-1/2-in. Forstner bit. Clamp the panel to the table, center the bit’s spur on your mark, and bore the hole for the grommet.

Cut the speaker opening

For audio, we used an inexpensive soundbar with a built-in subwoofer, mounted directly above the screen in speaker panel (F).

• Trace the soundbar centered on the face of speaker panel (F). Square out the lines with a ruler and speed square.
• Drill 3/8-in. holes through each corner of the square, then use a jigsaw to cut from hole to hole to rough out the opening.
• Use a router with a straight bit and a guide rail to clean up the four sides of the opening.
• On the backside of the speaker panel (F), rout a 1/4-in. wide × 1/2-in. deep rabbet all the way around the opening by stepping back your track saw track/rail adapter setup. Clean up the corners with a chisel.
• Make the soundbar grille from gutter guard mesh, cut to the soundbar’s dimensions plus 1/2-in. larger in each direction. Bend and shape the mesh to fit snugly into the opening against the rabbet.

Apply Edge Banding

Apply iron-on edgebanding to conceal the plywood edge on side panels (A) and the top and bottom edges of logo panel (B).

• Secure the panels with scrap 2x4s and clamps so the edge to be banded faces up.
• Turn on the iron and set it aside to heat up. I prefer a hotter iron, which means moving faster to avoid burning the edgebanding, but also means the adhesive on the back of the edgebanding sets quicker.
• Cut a length of edgebanding from the roll an inch or two longer than the edge you’re covering.
• Center the edgebanding on the edge and iron it on, keeping the iron moving to avoid burning it. Don’t worry about aligning the ends yet. Trim those later. You’ll see the adhesive melt along the edges where the banding overlaps the plywood. Iron the entire length, then let it cool for a few minutes.
• Use an edgebanding trimmer to trim the banding flush with the plywood veneer. Flush up the ends with a sharp chisel and a sanding block.
• Install and trim edgebanding one visible edge at a time, rotating around the panel. Leave the bottom of side panels (A) and the short sides of logo panel (B) bare as they won’t be visible after assembly.

Paint and stain

This project is much easier to paint and stain with the pieces apart than with them assembled.

• Use a palm sander to lightly sand all the plywood with 150-grit. Sanding oak plywood any smoother than this before staining will actually polish the pores shut, preventing the stain from absorbing evenly.
• Sand any kerf marks on the edges of the MDF components smooth as well.
• Apply stain to all visible sides and edges of the plywood components. Let dry.
• Apply two coats of paint to all visible sides and edges of the MDF components, giving ample drying time between coats.
• After the paint is dry, tack the speaker grill in place with a staple or two into the exposed MDF edge at the rabbet, just enough to keep it from rattling loose when moving the cabinet.

Burn the logo

To make the logo for the arcade cabinet, we decided to burn it into the plywood using a pryography pen.

• Use a 11-in. X 17-in. legal size printer to print out the design/letters in the size that fits well on your logo panel (B). You may have to print the image over two sheets of paper and seam them together.
• Use transfer paper and a metal or wood stylus to transfer the outline of your design onto the logo panel. Gently lift the image to ensure the carbon is transferring strongly enough to be visible as you work.
• Choose a pyrography tip with a thin point to trace over the transfer paper outlines and burn in your letter.
• Change to the wider rounded or chisel tip of the pyrography pen. Burn the space between the outlines to fill in the design.
• Once all have been burned in lightly sand with 400 grit sandpaper
• Touch up any areas you would like to darken
• Wipe the whole pyrography with alcohol swabs. This will remove and excess char and make the design look crisp. Alcohol also cleans up the wood without bloating the wood fibers.
• Seal with oil-based poly and let dry.

Assemble the cabinet

With all the pieces cut, edgebanded, and finished, it’s time to glue the cabinet together. Dry-fit everything with clamps first — this is a unique enough shape that a test run is worth it — then assemble with wood glue and 1-1/2-in. 18-gauge brad nails.

• Glue and nail the lower back panel (K), floorboard (L), and top panel (G) between the two side panels (A), flush with the outer edges of the sides as shown in the drawing.
• Install the logo panel (B), front panel (E), and button panel (D) between the sides, recessed 5/16-in. from the front edge of the side panels (A), and secure them with glue and nails.
• Glue and brad-nail the nailing blocks (J) to the sides (A). The top door panel (H) is left off for now to allow access for wiring and electronics mounting. Once that’s complete, pin it on with 23-gauge pin nails.
• Position the monitor frame (C) and speaker panel (F) so they align with the panels already installed, then glue and nail.
• Let the glue fully cure before moving on to the next step.

Install the door

With the cabinet assembled, it’s time to hang the door (Q), which provides ongoing access to the interior.

• Flat-mount a piano hinge along the bottom edge of the door (Q). You may need to cut the hinge around the fan, depending on the size of your hinge leaves. Use a punch to mark the screw placement, then secure the hinge to the door (Q) and the lower back panel (K) using 1/2-in. screws
• Install the strike plate for the magnetic door catch on the inside of the door (Q), about two inches from the top and flush to the side edge, and screw it into place. Snap the magnet onto the strike plate, close the door to mark the magnet’s landing spot on the side panel (A), then screw the magnet into place at that mark.
• Install the knob at the top of the door (Q). Drill a 3/16-in. hole through the door, 2-in. down from the top edge and centered side-to-side, then insert the bolt through the hole and screw on the knob.

Finishing touches

A little touch-up work and a few coats of polyurethane will get the cabinet ready for the long haul. This is how we did it.

• Fill all the nail holes with stainable wood filler, wipe away any excess, and touch up those areas with paint or stain.
• Use painter’s tape and plastic sheeting to mask off all the painted MDF components.
• With a clean brush, apply a thin coat of polyurethane to the exposed sides of the plywood components and edge banding.
• Let dry for a few hours, then lightly sand with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth any raised grain. Wipe clean with a tack cloth and apply a second coat.

Mount the monitor

Getting the monitor securely and safely seated takes a simple custom-built mounting system with a little patience for alignment.

• Stick foam insulation tape around the inside edge of the monitor bezel to cushion it and prevent scratching.
• Transfer your monitor’s VESA mounting pattern (typically 100mm x 100mm) onto the monitor mount (M), mark the four hole locations, and drill them.
• Attach the cross bracket (M) to the back of the monitor using machine screws sized for your monitor’s VESA inserts. You’ll need to buy these separately, as they aren’t included with the monitor — make sure they aren’t too long.
• Hold the monitor with the cross bracket (M) attached against the monitor frame (C) at the desired position (use an assistant if needed). Mark on the sides (A) where the back edge and bottom of the cross bracket (M) sit when the monitor is in its ideal position.
• Use wood glue and brad nails to attach the long braces (N) and short braces (P) to the sides (A), forming L-shaped cleats for the cross bracket (M) to sit in. Attach the long brace (N) along the back-edge mark, and the short brace (P) along the bottom mark, on each side (A).
• To mount the monitor, slowly lower the cross bracket (M) onto the L-shaped cleats, being careful not to peel the foam insulation. Wiggle it in if needed.

Electronics installation

With the top door panel left off for access, this is where the Raspberry Pi, controller board, and audio/power components all go in before the cabinet gets buttoned up.

• Center the pre-programmed Raspberry Pi and the controller USB encoder board inside the cabinet to minimize wire strain on the joystick and buttons.
• Connect the power supply, microHDMI, USB gaming stick, encoder board, and an aux cable to the soundbar to the Pi.
• Wire the buttons and joystick directly to the encoder board per the instruction manual.
• Route and secure both fans to their designated locations: the fan on the lower back panel (K) should draw air into the cabinet, and the fan on the door (Q) should blow air out.
• Place the power strip on the left side towards the back, positioning the power switch near the grommet hole for easy reach. Feed the power cord through the hole, then secure the plastic grommet with CA glue.
• Set the soundbar in its basin on the inside of the speaker panel.
• Connect the monitor, fans, Pi, and soundbar to the power strip. Plug in the main power strip and flip the switch to on. Verify power is reaching all components, then turn off the system.

Cable Management

With the electronics wired and powered, take a pass through the cabinet to route and secure all the cabling before closing everything up.

• Start at the joystick and buttons. Group and secure the button wiring with velcro cable ties as one section, then repeat for the joystick wiring.
• Apply adhesive tie mounts near the speaker to zip-tie the speaker cables. Place additional tie mounts down the side panel for securing monitor and speaker lines.
• Separate the main power cords from the monitor cables coming down. Route the power connections to the Raspberry Pi, fans, monitor, and speaker. Secure them with tie mounts and zip ties along a path that makes sense for your layout.
• Route the fan cable on the door (Q) with enough slack to prevent strain when the door opens and closes. Anchor it down with tie mounts and zip ties.
• Nail on the top door panel (H) to the nailing blocks (J) using 23-gauge pin nails, being sure to leave enough room between it and the top of the door (Q) for the door to close without hitting it.

Test and play!

With everything wired and wrapped up, it’s time to power on the cabinet and confirm everything actually works.

• Flip the switch on the power strip inside the cabinet. Use the remote to turn on the soundbar.
• Boot up the Raspberry Pi and check the monitor to see if it shows.
• Move the joystick and hit a button to test if it works. To make troubleshooting easier, connect an actual console controller to the Raspberry Pi, if you have one, so you can navigate the settings and system without relying on the arcade controls yet.
• With working controls, launch a game and verify that each button and joystick works as configured.

FAQ

Is it illegal to emulate arcade games?

Using an emulator to play arcade games is legal. Downloading game files (ROMs), disc images (ISOs), or console startup files (BIOS) that you don’t own the rights to is not; that’s copyright infringement. If you own the original hardware or games, making and playing your own backup copies is fine.

What’s better, Raspberry Pi or PC for Arcade Cabinet?

PC is going to be the superior choice for arcade cabinets – the processing power, graphics, and the use of an actual hard drive rather than an SD card make gaming easier with old and newer games. Raspberry Pi has its uses and is great for smaller cabinets that can’t hold a PC, but not great for newer games.

Is a 32-in. Monitor too big for a cabinet?

No. Personally, I like the bigger picture, and the game experience is much more enjoyable. The overall size of the monitor for your cabinet is based on your preference and the size of the cabinet you want to build. There are many out there with 40-in. + monitors.

The post This Incredible DIY Arcade Cabinet Is a Gamer’s Dream Come True appeared first on Family Handyman.

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